Wow now this is what i call REAL asian food that id usually have to drive all the way to san jose for. See the first bowl? Thats real sweet and sour for my egg rolls its a sweet and sour BROTH no red dye or refined sugar corn syrup round here and the second bowl? The best teriayki/onion/chicken broth in town omg we needed this! Dont be fooled by their name they really need to take out the express part of their name because they make everything fresh and from scratch right in front of you and they all actuallly cook with fresh gloves on thank you so much clean and couteous!!!! And yes for you express type americanized asian food lovers they also have the sweet and sour / kun pow or whatever staples but please guys order the authentic part pf the menu.... u wont be disappointed ...... by the register the have a longer menu then what is shown yes!!! And thank you!!!! Finally a place by the mall that is actually nutritious and good who would have though aka its next to starbucks on the corner in the citi bank parking lot!!! A must!!!! read more

Asian Express - Grilled/bbq chicken with rice and eggs rolls yahummmm! - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

If you're craving pho and you're in SC you know how hard it is to get it. Having to drive all the way to SJ for some pho is pretty annoying and this restaurant is the best thing next to pho in SJ. The place looks a little worn down with the plastic cups for water and sometimes the waiter doesn't give you a spoon or napkins but you can get up and get it yourself on the side. It really isn't bad pho like some people would think because this place is like a Panda Express. They have premade food ready to serve you just like Panda and they give you HUGE portions for these entree plates. I think it is well priced for the amount of food they give you for these plates. My favorite thing to get is #22. The wonton soup with egg noodles and lollipop chicken! The broth is kind of spicy and oily and the noodles are delicious while the wonton works perfectly with it! I only wish they had siracha and hoisin sauce to go with the soup and the pho. Easy parking right outside the plaza of restaurants. read more

Can yelp implement negative stars? I came to this establishment the first week it opened. I was really happy with this place. $5.49 for a two entree and one side meal and about 7 dollars for a bowl of pho. First time around I ordered lolipop chicken, curry beef, and my side was white rice. It was absolutely delicious. Now to my current feelings on this establishment. From what I know, places are to become better in time. But this place has gotten worse. The food quality is bad bad bad! The food looks like it had been re-heated many times. I had ribs recently and they were dryer than the mojave desert, and I would know because I've been there. The curry was basically all bones and no meat. One of the major things that irritated me was the lollipop chicken. They only give you three pieces for a chicken drumstick that has only the top half of the meat and the other half ends up in a random pile of other food. My housemate loves to order the pho and I will admit it is delicious. It is probably the only good thing here. Stray away from all else. Now for my reasoning for the 1 star: One time my housemate and I were eating I witnessed one of the main workers drop a few forks out of the utensil bin. She looked around, looked some more, proceeded to pick it up, put it behind her back and discreetly put it back in the clean fork bin. That is absolutely absurd. If you are putting dirty forks back in the bin to save a few bucks. I fear what goes on behind the scenes. I plan to investigate more into this. Pho is the only thing that saved this place read more

The closest thing to Pho if you're in Santa Cruz. Haven't had the opportunity to try anything else on the menu, but since decent pho is such a rarity in Santa Cruz, just had to go with the classic pho. This is the place to go if you're unwilling to drive all to San Jose for decent pho, this place will save $ on transportation and will get you full at least. *Right on the outskirts of Capitola mall!!! read more

Asian Express isn't very good. I probably won't go there again. The food was mediocre and I would settle for that if it was fast, but it was completely slow. My friend and I waited 30 minutes watching our other friend eat her dish that came out almost immediately. And then when we got the food it was 80% plain noodles. The spring rolls were good, but the rest of the dish just lacked flavor without heavy dipping in the sauces on the table. read more

For Santa Cruz, this is a five star pho place. Obviously if you compare this spot to pho in San Jose, it doesn't measure up but it's still pretty dank. The staff is super friendly is also a plus. I find myself coming here more than once a week. Guilty. And get the egg rolls with extra lettuce and pickled radish/carrots!! It's phoking delicious ;) I always leave here satisfied and that's what really matters. Trust me I'm supah squinty Asian. read more

I make oxtail, beef, chicken, pork, turkey pho on a regular basis all from scratch & frequent this place for their chicken pho when I'm either too busy or too lazy. Love that they are here 2 miles from me & totally recommend their chicken pho or any combination of Vermicilli bowl, which is as authentic as home style cooking!!! I've gone to places in that charged twice as much for these dishes mentioned but came no where close to Asian Express! If you like Vietnamese food & know how to cook it (As I do & am), you will NOT disagree that this is Legit! I give them 5 Stars for the dishes mentioned above but overall 3-4 Stars for other dishes like beef pho, banmi (which for some reason was served cold!) I'm not much of a fan for buffet food so I don't bother with those items. the (thai) spicy soup is good but a little too greasy when I 1st ordered it, so I recommend asking them to keep the oil levels down if you like that kind of soup i.e. Thai foods are not oily. read more

Best pho place in santa cruz! One time i went here and asked if i could have extra noodles for my pho and they hooked it up! The family who runs this place is awesome and they make great pho. I always get beef and tripe. Im gonna go tonight and im excited because they are a staple of the santa cruz cuisine scene ;) five stars! read more

Definitely one of our go-to dinner places in Santa Cruz when we want good Asian food. Really solid value for the amount of food you get.

1 star for trying to make pho Tried the pho & the spring rolls and I just have to say that I rather drive over the hill for my pho cravings. Sorry Asian Express. read more

I like to go there when i want Pho. Yesterday, i went for lunch with my boyfriend. some how taste little off but we didn't say anything. We both got really sick...... Too bad......... Now where do i go to Pho in town?? read more

TERRIBLE ! The first thing I noticed was that none of the employees were wearing gloves. The food was disgusting ! The service was poor The place smelled disgusting read more

The best Pho in town! I swear this stuff works miracles! The employees are so sweet. The food is delicious and we'll priced. You get huge servings. Highly recommend. read more

Delicious soup. The boba teas are also pretty amazing especially the Thai ice tea. Really good service. Thumbs up! Yum yum read more

This is the best place in Santa Cruz County (so far) for pho. They are a little skimpy when it comes to the herbs (as compared to a pho joint in San Jose), and if you eat with someone, they'll still give you one plate with less than twice the amount of herbs they should give you. Regardless, if you're jonesing for pho and other Vietnamese delights, and you don't want to drive over the hill, try this place! read more

A friend brought me some food and oh boy I was excited to try it... I had one bite of the fried rice, one bite of chow mien, one bite of sweet and sour pork and finally a bite of the egg plant and tofu. That's all I had. Have I said enough? Some claim that the Pad Thai is really good, I am not too sure of that if their main food they sell is that bad. I am not sure about the Pho, I heard it's not worth it and not too much of a big portion skimpy? The flavoring is just off, the fried rice is hard as heck, and chow mien so soft a person with no teeth can bite it. The sweet and sour pork was hard like a rock the egg plant and tofu just looks awful. Don't take my word for it, you can try it and tell us your experience. *parking* Outside lot shared with other restaurant and shops Cash! read more

Most of us were pretty drunk last night, from the New Year's Eve party. So we decided to come here for a pho fix. We walked in, and you order at the front and wait for your food to arrive at your table. You could sit anywhere you want; inside or outside. The restuarant was pretty small, so we took up the whole place. We were served water, in plastic cups, which I'm not too sure what to think about. We get our food, along with the utensils. The only condiments that were out on the table were hoisin sauce, sriracha, and chili peppers. My pho wasn't too great. It was pretty salty, and I had no idea where the sugar was. I didn't want to get up and look for it, since I still felt pretty buzzed. They put a good amount of noodles in, with a couple of meatballs and meat. Overall, I don't think I'll be back. They have good service, but in my opinion, I wasn't too much of a fan in their food. read more

I've been avoiding this place due to it's dim light and depressing yellow walls for a while but not because of aesthetics alone. The handful of times I went in to scout it out, the food behind the glass-faced warming counter looked like it had been under those hot lamps far too long and I left immediately. In the midst of a group pho craving one night, a friend said Asain Express had good reviews, so rather than drive 40 minutes, I capitulated. A group of 3 and I went in hoping we had found a good pho place in the area. Unfortunately, we must have hit a very off night. None us liked our pho or the entire experience, at all. Being a first visit for all of us, the result was four bad experiences in one visit. Admittedly, they were about to close but our money was still green enough to take, so they missed their chance to wow us and establish a good repore. I will begrudgingly struggle to find a positive thing to say ..* hey, those pot stickers were aaaheight. read more

I've heard many of my friends go here, but I never thought much of it since I honestly never thought any Asian place in the Santa Cruz/Capitola area tasted good, especially when I come from such an Asian surburban area. But to my surprise, Asian Express was actually pretty good! Their menu surprised me a LOT actually. Vermicelli noodles, pho, and other Asian dishes? Why haven't I been here earlier?! I ordered the #8 Pho bowl with rare steak and meatballs, and I thought it was really delicious. It tasted good enough that I would go here to get Pho again than drive all the way to San Jose to satisfy my Pho craving. Also, their #4 eggrolls appetizer dish is superb. Probably one of the best eggrolls I've eaten in a while. They were fried to perfection and had a nice crunch to it with every bite. The prices are very reasonable, and cheap in my opinion compared to other places in Santa Cruz. If you want your Asian fix of food, go to Asian Express! read more

Finally, Vietnamese food in Santa Cruz.!!! And to my amazement they have one of my favorite Bun Chay dishes - vermicelli noodles over lettuce, cucumber and bean sprouts with crushed peanuts, cilantro, mint, and chopped up vegetarian fried spring rolls and tofu on top. Yippee! The veggie Pho was quite good though it's not truly veggie because it has chicken stock, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. I've largely given up on getting vegetarian soups anyway. As long as there are no pieces of meat I'll make that compromise. The family that runs it are nice and very flexible. Their motto is "tell us how you want it and we'll make it that way". Oddly they also serve Thai and Chinese food in both made to order and buffet style (choose from 1, 2, or 3 items with a side dish) and the prices are really reasonable. Three main items with a side is $6.39. For the side, you can choose fried rice, mixed veggies, steamed rice, chow mein or veggie pad Thai. Sweet! Pho is around $6.75 This place is right next to Starbucks off Claires in the Capitola Mall lot. Why five stars? The food is good, and I plan to eat there often, but because they accommodate vegetarians and it's the only Vietnamese place in Santa Cruz - thus saving me a trip to San Jose for Bun - the normal ratings don't apply. So five friggin' stars for being close to my house and not putting meat in everything. read more

My friend and I came here today because we were craving pho. Everyone knows the best pho places are in San Jose and that's where we're both from, but we decided to try this place for dinner since the drive is just not worth it for a bowl of pho. This place is cute. First walking in you'll see the Chinese food on the right side like any other typical Chinese place. We came in, ordered a plain bowl of pho and a #7 and the total came out to $13. The owner told us to sit down and they'll bring the noodles to us. So in the back of the store there's Booths for people to sit and eat, very nice and clean. (I was totally not imagining something like that). Food wise, the pho is decent. It'll satisfied your craving if you have one. My friend's bowl had a good amount of meat which was very surprising. So yes, I'll definitely come back for pho. read more

Asian Express - Plain pho and #7 - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

The service provided by the young man at the front desk? Awful! He had a Disgusting attitude. Questionable place for sure....

I've been here twice. The staff was very friendly and there were a lot of vegetarian options, which was great. In particular, my favorites were the vermicelli veggie plate (it was tasty with a kick of spice) and the veggie sandwich. The vegetarian pho was seriously lacking flavor, though. read more

Asian Express - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

I had a great vermicelli with tofu and egg rolls. Really great. And consistent 3 times. And filling.

What that guy said. You really don't expect a place with that kind of cheap ambiance and that kind of name to have some seriously tasty pho, Great meat, great vegetarian broth. The reason they're getting 5 stars? At a serve-yourself style restaurant, they brought it to us, cleaned up our ridiculous mess, and most importantly: when I ordered the vege bowl, they *bothered* to come check with me if I needed my broth vegetarian as well when I didn't specify. *Fantastic* service for a "cheap delicious noms" sort of place. read more

Delicious Bánh mi!! I tried the pork, it was wonderful. The pickled daikon and carrots were crispy and a great contrast to the pork and roll. It's a must try! The ladies working were all helpful and quick to provide service in anyway. I can't wait to go back and try more on the menu!! read more

Hey, I just came back from a 1 month trip to Vietnam. See the picture of me in Ha Long Bay? I had Pho' at the most expensive places, the least expensive places, the best places, the worst places, and even at the famous Lunch Lady featured on Anthony Bourdain. I can say for certain that the cooks at Asian Express know what they're doing when it comes to Pho'! A Capitola resident, I go there 3-4 times per week, saving myself a trip over the hill. While I know all the hot spots in San Jose, I can say that Asian Express is making waves in Santa Cruz as an authentic and premier ethnic restaurant. Support this kind family with your business; learn about Pho', and you will quickly find that your taste for their soup will become your new addiction! Great Food! A+ read more

Pros: Pho in Santa Cruz (aka hangover food), nice enough staff. They have a panda express style entree selection too, but who wants that? Cons: I order the same thing every time and they always charge me different amounts. Extra-large #7 Pho, extra meat, extra noodles. I've been charged $8, $9, and $11 on six different accounts. What gives? Come up with a standardized cashier process and you win. read more

This place was a staple for me. The nature of the business as taken a nose dive and sadly a wait for a bowl of pho feels like an eternity for what it is. The cleanliness and overall lack of attention lost me. read more

Where does one go when they crave a simple bowl of pho in the city of Santa Cruz? I've been searching far and wide, but only found that The Santa Cruz Diner has a fat noodled form of it in the fine print of their menu and Charlie Hong Kong's has their version of "Vietnamese Noodle Soup" that doesn't exactly hit the spot. But I think that I've finally found solace in a restaurant that did not require me to drive out to the depths of San Jose. I first was a bit skeptical about a place creatively named "Asian Express," thinking that it would be another deep fried mall food court spot, but my did this place surprise me. Asian express doesn't just have pho, but three versions of it! Pho bò, pho gà, and pho dác biet. The portions are large and include all the fixings on the side. They even have Bún riêu and a ton of other soup dishes. The last time I was there the just added a bunch of Bún thit noung dishes (dry noodle+ grilled meat+egg rolls) They also have banh mi and yummy egg rolls. Great boba drink selection including cafe sua da (vietnamese coffee).It has a huge variety of other dishes that I have not tried yet.. it's also a Thai and Chinese fusion restaurant so you can get your fix of fried rice and chow mein if you so please. I always go with a number 7 special combination pho (pho dac biet) and a thai iced tea with boba on the side. Number 15 is a quality dry noodle dish too. The portions are huge and the price is reasonable for the size. 8 bucks maximum for a bowl of pho. The service is quick, depending on what you order. Usually the pho comes out in a few minutes. I know that it's Vietnamese owned but only a few servers speak it, so if your Viet, just be aware that you may be speaking your native tongue to a kind but confused Thai lady when you're there. It's gets a little awkward when i order sometimes. For what it is.. I definitely will give this place credit for the quality and authenticity but it is certainly not the best. It's a good fix for Viet food if you're looking to stay local and knocks all the other local spots out of the park, but save the best for a trip over the hill in San Jose. read more

Terrible food the chicken was old and fried .very bad flavor bad experience I ordered chicken over rice and it was awful the egg rolls super grease not good read more

Ok, I'll start with - DON'T BOTHER with the pre-made food out on the trays. No good. BUT - FINALLY, somewhere in Santa Cruz has Bahn Mi Sandwhiches, and actually they're very good! I recommend the pork one and adding jalepenos and extra cilantro. And, also they have pretty good Pho! Not the best I've ever had, but best I've found in Santa Cruz when I don't want to drive over the hill. As a lot of other reviewers have mentioned, the #8 is dang good - I am really partial to their broth especially! I almost never came back to this place as I had the food out on trays twice, and wanted it to be good and it wasn't. So I was a little afraid to try the soup but the stuff that they make to order IS really good. I wish they'd just turn this into a straigh restaurant, drop the crappy "express" food and stick to the good stuff! read more

After moving here from the LA area, we have been missing all the great Asian food choices we had down there... So we were very happy to find Asian Express. Boba, Vietnamese sandwiches, great lunch specials and very clean place to eat. Staff is wonderful and friendly too. We will be back often! read more

This is only place has pho. So give it a try. When i bite into beef in the soup. It taste little off but soup was good so i was keep eating. I should've stop. I got really sick that night. I might go back to try one more time. Hope they don't make me sick again. read more

My family and I were very skeptical about trying out this new Asian place, however we were in search for good pho and thought we might as well try it. Let me just start out by saying their smoothies are the freshest, juiciest, tastiest, and most amazing drinks I have ever had(The mango is bomb). The pho was also amazing, the mixture of veggies creates an amusement Park for your taste buds. The people are super friendly and welcoming. read more

The resturant is some what clean. The time I went in, All Their bench table still had dirty dishes on them. Service was somewhat ok for a self service resturant. You go in and order at the counter. read more

Asian Express - Asian express - Vietnamese Near Me - Capitola, California

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Definitely the best pho you can get in this area. Workers are very nice and the bowls are pretty big.

Was there 2 days ago , Good pho , very nice staff . Lady Owner is so nice ,and cashier too Enjoyed going there for the first time . Will be back again . Thank you very much read more

The chicken pad Thai is my favorite.. Always better than other Thai restaurants IMO.. Fresh made and huge portion. Bahn mi is another winner. They are closed for covid til May 7 so far..Bummer! read more

You get what you get. What did you expect? A quality Vietnamese pho place around this area? Me thinks not. I came in expecting a great deal (for some reason) and was poorly disappointed. This place is a combination of Vietnamese and Thai food. It's a pay before you eat place, but before I had my hopes too high I was rudely greeted by the manager or owner of the place with a, "Do you want to eat anything?" How nice of you. Gee, thanks. As I was ordering my food, he was trying to convince me to get something else that was already pre-made so the cooks wouldn't have to cook anything for me. As I got my "Vietnamese" food, it didn't look appetizing at all. When I went in for a bite the chicken (#5) was so dry. The extra sauce and everything on the side didn't help save the taste either. Eventually, I just ended up throwing away a good 3/4 of my meal including my thai ice tea. What a waste. A poor experience indeed. However, it was to be expected since no one can tell I guess, but I've definitely had a lot better. Warning upon coming here, you can get your fill but don't expect too much. read more